


In a Bleak Midwinter

by bansheequeen (queenbanshee), xtremeroswellian



Category: Smallville
Genre: Banter, Car Accidents, Chloe the reporter, Christmas, Domestic Disputes, F/M, Flowers, Friendship, Holidays, Hurt Oliver, Interviews, Ollie doesn't like cold weather, Rescued by Green Arrow, Teasing, childhood ambitions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:06:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24208666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenbanshee/pseuds/bansheequeen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: “What is it that you’re doing here, Mr. Queen? You said it yourself, the articles weren’t exactly giving you a bad reputation.” She pointed out.“I guess I just wanted to meet the woman who wrote them,” he told her.Chloe held her breath at that, “why?”Oliver shrugged, watching her. “Curiosity.”
Relationships: Clark Kent/Lana Lang, Lois Lane & Chloe Sullivan, Oliver Queen/Chloe Sullivan
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

Oliver Queen had come to Metropolis to take a break from a hectic life of being constantly followed and hounded by the media in his hometown of Star City, California. Besides that, the Metropolis branch of the company he owned and ran as CEO, Queen Industries, needed some attention. 

He hadn’t, however, considered the climate difference very carefully as he strode down the sidewalk, trying to move quickly enough to keep warm because he’d failed to pack a jacket. Kansas in late November was chilly, as where California in November was...generally the same as it was as California in July. 

He’d have to buy a jacket very quickly. But right now he just wanted to get into the office and check in, let the employees know he’d be in town for awhile, and get something to eat. 

“I’m not giving you anymore money you bitch,” a man said a few feet away as he shoved the woman away from him, “quit begging like a whore.”

“I need it for the bus to get to _work_ ,” she exclaimed, glaring at him.

“Work,” he snorted, “bullshit, you don’t work that’s why you want _my_ money.”

“Just give me five dollars, you tightwad piece of shit!” 

“You don’t talk to me like that!” He yelled, shoving her backward again.

Crap. Apparently they weren’t going to let him off the hook and calm down on their own. Drawing in a breath, he set his jaw and headed for them. “Is there a problem here?” 

“Fuck off,” the man said, keeping his eyes on the woman.

“Stop being a dick,” she spat, glaring at her husband. 

“You stupid whore,” he said, pushing forward and stumbling slightly, “can’t wait to show off to this idiot.”

Oliver reached out and caught his arm before he could shove the woman again. “That’s enough.” The tone of his voice was sharp.

“And who the fuck are you?” The man asked, glaring as he looked up at him. 

For once, he was disappointed that someone actually didn’t know who he was. Probably would have made things easier right then. “The guy standing between you and a jail cell right now,” he informed him.

“This is between me and my wife,” he spat, then lifted his hands and shoved the man away.

He’d anticipated that, and swung him around, shoving him up against the car. “Haven’t you heard? Domestic violence is everyone’s business.” He gave him a warning look.

The man stumbled again and stared up at him, “are you a fucking cop?” 

Chloe had been leaving the Planet when she heard the voices, she had been panicking because she hadn’t gotten any of her stories published in almost two weeks and she had heard there was going to be a staff cut. Which meant, she had to find something big, _soon_.

She just hadn’t expected to stumble upon it the second she left work that night. 

Oliver Queen, CEO and heir to pretty much all of Star City was standing right there, apparently trying to settle a domestic dispute he had no reason to be a part of. Her voice recorder went on the second she spotted him, and she stood still as she watched so she wouldn’t be spotted. Or heard.

“Just a concerned citizen,” Oliver said, wishing he’d been dressed as his alter ego so he could’ve just stunned the guy and left him for the cops to deal with. 

“Thank you, but we’re fine,” the woman spoke up, her eyes wide as she looked at him.

“Yeah,” the man agreed, trying to shove the blonde away from him once more, “we’re _fine_.” 

Without wasting time, Chloe pulled her camera out and snapped a picture of Oliver Queen as he still held the man against the car, before they moved. 

Except apparently she had had the flash on, “shit.” She muttered.

He glanced up at the flash, blinking a couple of times and cursing inwardly. _Perfect_ , he thought, turning his attention back to the man as he realized it was too late to do anything about the woman taking his picture. “Keep your hands to yourself,” he said to the man, his voice lowering and filled with warning. 

Chloe stared for just a moment longer, then she ran straight back to the Planet, her heart beating fast, she was sure Oliver had seen her, but of course, he had no idea who she was and probably wouldn’t until _after_ the article was published and that was all she needed.

* * * 

It was bright and early the next morning as Oliver sat at his desk at Queen Industries, staring in dismay at the front page of the Daily Planet. A picture of him from the evening before, pinning the man to the side of a car and looking very non-business-like as he glared. 

The headline read, “Star City Son to the Rescue?” 

He groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. Just what he needed. 

* * * 

Chloe simply couldn’t stop staring at her article, a big grin on her face. Having her name on the front page _was_ the best feeling ever. Sure, it was below the fold, but it was on the _left_ side and that made her article the second biggest headline on the edition. And that was pretty damn good for an intern in the basement of the Planet. 

She looked away just long enough to sip on her coffee and saw her cousin walking straight toward her desk. Grinning still, Chloe leaned back against her chair and waited. 

“You neglected to tell me that you had a front page story in the works.” Lois grinned at her and perched on the edge of her desk.

“I didn’t,” Chloe admitted, smiling up at Lois and shrugging a little, “lucky break last night, I ran right into him.” 

“That was definitely lucky,” she agreed, sounding wistful. 

“What did you think of the article?” Chloe asked, shrugging slightly.

“The writing was flawless.” She pursed her lips. 

She brightened again and grinned once more, “thanks, Lo.” 

“You’re welcome.” Lois cocked her head to the side. “How _do_ you do it?” 

“I told you,” Chloe said quietly, “I was lucky. I was leaving work and I heard the couple yelling and... there he was.”

“No, I mean...” She sighed softly, looking around for a moment, and then back at her cousin. “You don’t have as many articles published as I do, but when yours are published, they’re like a hundred times better.” 

“Oh,” Chloe looked down then back at Lois, “maybe because I don’t get to publish as many, they just pick the better ones here?” She said, uncomfortable, “I already told you how many times? You are better than the Inquisitor.”

“Well, I don’t see anyone here rushing to recruit me to work,” Lois pointed out.

“Yeah but... they will want you to prove yourself. You know how people feel about tabloids here...” Chloe added as she sat up.

“So how exactly am I supposed to prove myself if the only paper that will hire me _is_ a tabloid?” She shook her head.

“You write articles to the Planet standards even if they are printed at the Inquisitor,” Chloe told her cousin, “worst that can happen is you get a promotion at your current job.”

Lois sighed softly, nodding a little and chewing her lower lip. “Can I steal some of your old articles from the Torch?” She paused. “Not to steal, to study.” 

“Of course,” Chloe smiled softly, “you don’t need them, but yeah. Anything you want. And I can proof-read your stuff too if you want me to.”

“Really?” Her eyes lit up. “Because my editor says my spelling is atrocious.” 

Chloe grinned at that and nodded, “all you had to do was ask, Lo. And I’m not a great speller either, but we can always ask Clark.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I think Smallville and I see enough of one another as it is.” 

“Just saying,” she smirked then shrugged, “but I should be able to help.”

“Great.” She smiled and leaned back a little. “We need to do the shopping thing soon.” 

“Shopping?” Chloe asked, cocking her head and frowning in confusion.

Lois raised her eyebrows. “Christmas? Right around the corner?” 

“Oh,” she blinked, “right. We need to do that.” 

She smirked at her cousin even as she slid off her desk. “Unless you’re too distracted,” she teased.

“I’m not _distracted_ ,” Chloe smirked, “just running low on caffeine.”

“Or high on smugness,” Lois joked, winking at her. “See you later, little Cuz.” 

“See you soon, Lo. Email me if you write anything.” She smiled. 

“Will do. See you later.” Grinning at her cousin, she headed for the exit.


	2. Chapter 2

It was normally Lois who was late for things, not her, but today was different. Her editor had demanded she found out more about Oliver Queen and what he was doing in Metropolis, so she had spent the entire day researching and hadn’t realized it was way past eight until Lois had called her to let her know she was going to be late for dinner. 

She had just grabbed some of the paper she had printed so she could read everything over when she got home and had run out of the door. 

Of course, she was almost at her car when she tripped and while she managed not to fall on her face, all of her papers went flying and scattered all over the sidewalk. “Damnit.” She muttered and took a deep breath before kneeling down and starting to pick them up. 

Oliver was walking home from his office when he saw a blond woman trip over something and drop everything she was carrying. He winced a little and strode over to her, grabbing a couple papers as they spiraled around on the breeze. “I think these are yours.” He knelt down beside her, picking up a few more things and holding them out to her with raised eyebrows. 

Chloe blinked and turned toward the voice, “Thank-” she stilled, eyes widening when she saw who was handing her her papers. “Oh.”

He glanced up, meeting her gaze and holding his breath for a moment as he found himself looking into the prettiest green eyes he’d ever seen before. He couldn’t help but smile at her. 

She shifted forward and took the papers from him, “thank you,” she whispered, he was the last person she would expect to see, especially out there on the streets, helping someone. _Again_.

“No problem,” he assured her, rising to his feet and holding his hand out to help her up. 

After hesitating for a moment, she took his hand, “are you always helping out strangers?” She asked before she could help herself.

Oliver helped her up carefully, raising his eyebrows a little at her question. “I take it you know who I am.” 

“You could say that,” she said quietly.

“Then you have a slight advantage right now,” he said, his voice light and teasing as he smiled at her.

“And I think we should keep it that way,” she told him, smiling back and feeling her cheeks getting warm, “thank you, Mr. Queen.”

“You’re welcome,” he told her, with amusement in his eyes. “Are you all right?” 

“Yeah,” she told him quietly, “just... late.”

“I won’t keep you.” He stepped aside, out of her way.

She nodded slightly and turned back to her car, unlocking the door before turning toward him again, “and Mr. Queen?”

He paused and turned to face her. “Yeah?” 

“Whatever it is you’re doing, you should keep it up,” she smirked a little then got into her car.

Oliver blinked at that, his eyebrows furrowing. “Right...” 

* * *

Considering her assignment and the fact that she had ran right into Oliver Queen twice around the same just outside of the Planet, she figured it was a good place to start her research, which she secretly labeled as stalking in her head. 

She had picked up a cup of coffee and had her camera and voice recorder in each of her pockets. It was freezing out, but she hoped she could see the Billionaire before the whole catching pneumonia part of the evening.

She didn’t have to wait long before he turned the corner, heading right toward her and looking distracted. He fumbled with the phone in his hand, chewing the inside of his cheek. 

Chloe pressed herself against the wall and sipped on her coffee, lowering her head even as he walked closer.

Oliver didn’t notice, just kept walking toward the clock tower as he returned a text to his office manager in Star City.

She pushed herself from the wall and followed, keeping her cup of coffee close to her lips, in case he looked back.

But he didn’t look back. At least not until they got closer to his apartment and he realized he still heard light footfall behind him.

Since he didn’t stop, she kept on going too, keeping her eyes on the back of his head as she walked.

He slowed down about a block from the clock tower and turned around, pinning her with a stare. He couldn’t see her clearly, but he knew he was being followed and he knew it was a female doing the following. “Are you stalking me for my autograph?” he asked wryly.

Chloe stilled, eyes wide and without time to think about it, she lifted her head and stared up at him.

He narrowed his eyes a little, taking a couple steps toward her. “You.” There was a hint of shock in his voice.

“And, you,” she said, pretending to be surprised as well as she could.

“You’ve been following me,” he said, eyeing her.

“I wasn’t following you,” she said, frowning as hard as she could, “what are you talking about?”

Oliver pursed his lips, studying her intently. “Are you in some kind of trouble?” 

“What makes you think _that_?” She asked.

“Just a question,” he responded.

“Of course not,” she arched her eyebrows.

He eyed her a moment longer, then shrugged and turned to head for his building once more. “All right. Goodnight then.” 

“Goodnight,” she said, arching her eyebrows and remaining where she was.

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly, heading into the building and shaking his head a little.

She watched, arching her eyebrows curiously and looking up at the building her eyes widening, “the clocktower?” She murmured under her breath.

* * * 

He was less than thrilled when another article ran on him the next morning in the Planet. Apparently someone had called and spoken to his assistant, who’d told the reporter who’d written the article that he was in town for an undetermined amount of time to work there in Metropolis. 

He headed into the Planet, glancing around. “Excuse me,” he said to the security guard. “Can you tell me where to find Chloe Sullivan?” 

The receptionist lifted her head and her eyes widened as she realized who it was, “I-hm, let me hm, check.” She stuttered, then lowered her head to her computer and typed quickly, “she’s in the basement, Mr. Queen.”

“Thank you,” he said politely, offering her a wary smile before heading down the steps. 

Chloe was typing quickly, doing her best to try to dig up more information on both Oliver Queen and Queen industries when she heard collective quiet gasps, followed by a moment of silence and then whispers. She lifted her head and looked around for a second, then stilled.

He looked around until his gaze settled upon her, surprise registering on his features as he stood completely still for a long moment. Pursing his lips, he slowly strode over toward her desk. 

She held her breath and blinked a couple of times, looking at her desk for a moment before quickly locking her screen so it would hide all of her research, then stilling and glancing back at him. 

He raised an eyebrow. “Guess my instincts were correct after all.” His voice was quiet as he stood in front of her desk, staring at her.

“About?” She asked, standing up as she turned a pile of papers over, doing her best to cover her name plate.

“Having a stalker.” His voice was neutral, no anger or annoyance there, but no other emotion there, either.

“I wasn’t _stalking_ you,” she told him, straightening and holding her head up.

“Why? Because you get paid to do it?” 

“For someone with so much experience with press and stalkers, I’d think you’d be able to tell the difference between the two by now.” She said blankly.

“The articles were nicer than most articles about me,” he told her, watching her intently. 

“The articles were professional,” she pointed out, staring up at him, “so why are you accusing me of stalking?”

“Aside from the fact you followed me home last night?” He gave her a look.

“I work here,” she pointed out, “I don’t know if you realized, but it’s in the same area.”

If she was lying, she was very good at it. If he hadn’t had as many years dealing with the press as he had, he’d probably have believed her. And even though he didn’t buy it, he didn’t necessarily have to let her know that. He cocked his head, pretending to think it over. “I suppose it is.” 

“What is it that you’re doing here, Mr. Queen? You said it yourself, the articles weren’t exactly giving you a bad reputation.” She pointed out. 

“I guess I just wanted to meet the woman who wrote them,” he told her. 

Chloe held her breath at that, “why?” 

Oliver shrugged, watching her. “Curiosity.” 

“Right,” she nodded, “I guess you can’t blame me for the same thing, then.”

“Being curious about me?” His voice grew a little more quiet, and he was well aware that everyone in the office was staring at them.

“Yeah,” she told him, looking up at him. 

He held her gaze, nodding just a little and falling silent.

Chloe frowned at the look on his face, somehow, she expected him to be a lot more bold than this. He kind of looked like a kicked puppy. But she wasn’t going to back down just yet, “you know, if you actually gave interviews every now and then, we wouldn’t have to try so hard to figure out what is going on.”

Oliver narrowed his eyes at her despite the smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. “Are you asking for one?” 

Her eyes widened a little but she did her best not to let her surprise show, “yes.” 

He cocked his head to the side, leaning down and resting his hands on her desk. “All right.” 

“Really?” She gasped before she could stop herself then straightened, “when?”

It took every ounce of willpower not to chuckle at the surprise that flickered over her features. “Tomorrow around noon, at my office. Does that work for you?” 

“Yes,” she told him, nodding and straightening, “I’ll be there. Thank you, Mr. Queen.”

“I have a condition,” he warned.

She stilled and nodded, arching her eyebrows, “okay?”

“You have dinner with me tomorrow evening after the interview.” He raised his eyebrows, as well. 

Chloe stared at him for a long moment, “what? Why?”

“Because I don’t like eating dinner alone,” he informed her. 

She stared at him for a moment, “as long as we can make it clear that one,” she held up a finger, “I’m not dinner. And two,” she held up a second finger, “I’m not sleeping with you just because you are giving me an interview. I’m not that desperate.” 

Oliver cocked his head to the side, nodding slightly. “I guess your opinion of me isn’t quite as high as the article made it seem, is it?” He gave her a knowing look and pushed away from her desk. “I’ll see you tomorrow at noon.” 

“See you tomorrow,” she told him, holding her breath. 

He couldn’t help but smirk a little as he headed away from her and toward the stairs, feeling a little better than he had before he’d gone to the Planet to begin with.

Chloe chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, staring as he disappeared once he turned the stairs, barely noticing all the eyes that were on her now as she reached for her phone and dialed Lois. She really had to talk to her cousin to try and make sense of what the hell had just happened.


	3. Chapter 3

Oliver was already seated at a table in the corner of Pastabilities, sipping on a glass of water when he spotted Chloe talking to the hostess. He lifted his hand in a wave, nodding in her direction and smiling a little as she looked over. 

Chloe swallowed hard then forced a smile on her lips, nodding slightly at the hostess then starting toward the table. The interview had gone extremely well, he had been very professional and although he had avoided some of her questions, he had answered most of them and she had already transcribed everything and sent it to her editor, who was very impressed that she had managed to pull it off. 

But this whole dinner thing was still making her incredibly nervous. She approached the table slowly and took a deep breath then tried for a smile, “Hi.” 

“Hi,” he greeted, rising to his feet and offering her a smile of his own. He pulled her chair out for her. 

“Thanks,” she said quietly, looking up at him before taking the seat. 

He nodded, sitting down once more, as well. “How was the rest of your day?” 

“Busy,” she told him, arching her eyebrows a little and sitting up straight, “yours?”

“Also busy,” he responded, nodding again. 

“You looked busy when I got there,” she nodded a little, watching him. 

“I was,” Oliver admitted. “We’re restructuring the company here in Metropolis. It’ll take awhile.” 

She nodded a little, then took a deep breath, “thank you,” she said sincerely, “for the interview. It improved my reputation with my boss quite a bit.”

He was quiet for a moment. “How long have you been with the Planet?” he asked quietly.

“A little over a year,” she told him, pursing her lips together.

“You’re pretty young,” he commented.

“You know how old I am?” she frowned, sitting up.

“No, no.” He shook his head. “You just look young.” He offered her a small smile. 

“Oh,” she pursed her lips together and nodded a little, “thanks, I think.”

“You’re welcome,” he told her, taking a sip of his water. “Have you been here before?” 

“No,” she admitted, “but I heard good things about it. Have you?”

“No, it was recommended by some people at the office,” he answered, smiling a little. 

“I guess we will see, then,” she told him, smiling a little, trying her best to relax, even if it wasn’t working.

“It’ll be a new experience for both of us.” 

“Like the interview,” she smirked, teasing.

He couldn’t help but grin at her. “You’re not wrong,” he admitted.

“When was the last time you gave a one-on-one interview?” she asked.

Oliver chewed the inside of his cheek, considering for a moment. “I don’t remember.” 

Chloe grinned softly at that, unable to stop herself then nodded, “It was on December 17th, 1998,” she told him, “Queen Industries was raising a Christmas Charity and you actually showed up.”

He cocked his head to the side. “That’s right,” he said slowly. “Shortly before my unplanned vacation.” 

Chloe nodded again, growing serious, “yeah.” She agreed.

“You really did your homework,” he said lightly, raising his eyebrows. 

“I had a lot of research time before you actually agreed to give me an interview.” She pointed out.

“I’m not really that interesting of a subject,” he told her quietly, lifting his glass and taking another drink of water. 

“That is completely untrue,” she frowned before she could stop herself.

He glanced at her. “I guess if one’s interested in the business world, maybe.” 

“Not just the business world, obviously,” she said, arching her eyebrows.

Oliver raised his eyebrows, as well. “Meaning?” 

“There is obviously more to you than the businessman.”

Oliver held his breath at that, then shrugged, trying his best to seem nonchalant. “True, but you did say you weren’t interested in sleeping with me,” he said lightly.

“No,” she said instantly, “but you’re not just a playboy and a businessman.”

He gazed at her for a moment. “No?” 

“Obviously not,” she arched her eyebrows.

He set his glass down, leaning back in his chair and watching her. “You know a lot about me, but I barely know anything about you other than your name and profession.” 

“I’m not nearly as interesting,” she told him, arching her eyebrows.

“Maybe not to _you_ ,” he said with a soft smile.

“I can assure you it’s not just to me,” she smirked, “I bet papers wouldn’t sell at all with me on the front page.”

“And I can assure you that you’re seriously underestimating yourself.” 

“But you don’t know me, Mr. Queen, how can you be so sure?” She asked, still smirking.

“I have good instincts when it comes to other people,” he informed her, his voice serious.

“Okay,” she shrugged a little, “if you say so.”

“Also, beautiful women always sell a lot of papers.” He smiled, winking at her.

Chloe arched her eyebrows once more at that and shook her head, “I did tell you I’m not sleeping with you, right?”

He chuckled softly. “A couple of times. Again, I have to point out that your opinion of me can’t really be very high if that’s what you think I’m trying to do by paying you a sincere compliment.” 

“Well I know the public version of you, or everything there is to know about the public version of you anyway. That doesn’t mean I really know the _real_ you,” She pointed out.

“Will wonders never cease,” he commented, raising his eyebrows. “Someone who actually knows the difference.” 

“I am a reporter,” she told him, watching him closely.

“Most reporters don’t make a distinction,” he told her, searching her eyes.

“Non-tabloid reporters usually do.” She corrected him.

“With all due respect, that hasn’t been my experience,” Oliver said quietly.

“Then you haven’t met a lot of professional reporters,” she frowned. “Even regular people are very different from what people assume they are.”

“Well, you know that, and I know that, but I think that people like us are probably few and far between.” 

Chloe considered that for a moment then nodded, “I think you’re right.” She agreed.

At that moment, the waiter came over and they ordered their food before returning to conversation. “Have you always lived in Kansas?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” she nodded, “I was born here but I lived in a small town a couple hours from Metropolis for a few years and moved back for college.”

“Oh, are you still in school?” he asked curiously.

She paused at that and nodded, she’d really been trying to not let on how young she really was because she didn’t want him to think she was just some stupid college student but apparently that was what she was, “yeah, Met U.” She told him, too late to hide it now.

“I’ve heard good things about Met U,” he told her with a small smile. “I didn’t actually make it to college, but I’m sure you already knew that.” 

“Yeah,” she admitted then shrugged a little with a soft smile, “you seem to be doing pretty well, though.”

“Fortunately for me, all the business classes I took in high school gave me a background, and I have a good team of advisers at QI,” he admitted with a slight shrug.

“Well and you already had an entire empire just for you, anyway,” she pointed out.

“Chloe?” A man called from behind her a moment later.

Pausing, Chloe turned around and her eyes widened, “Clark? Lana?” She said, surprised.

Oliver glanced past her to see a young man, almost as tall as he was standing there, his arm around a pretty, dark-haired woman whose eyes were wide as saucers. He raised his eyebrows a little, glance flickering back to Chloe. 

“Hi,” Lana said, staring at her.

“Hi,” she replied, sitting up, “what are you guys doing here?”

“Dinner,” Clark told her, eyeing Oliver with suspicion. “Lana said this place was one of the best in Metropolis.” 

“It’s supposed to be one of them,” Chloe agreed, then awkwardly turned to Oliver, “This is Clark and Lana, we went to high school together,” she explained, then turned back to the other two, “this is Oliver.” But she didn’t offer any more information.

“Hi,” Lana greeted him with a smile. 

It didn’t escape him that Clark pulled the woman just a little closer to him as she greeted him, and the corners of his mouth twitched in amusement. 

“Nice to meet you,” he told them, looking back at Chloe. 

Chloe smiled a little then nodded, “you guys have fun with dinner,” she said, trying to cut this short so it wouldn’t get anymore awkward.

“You too,” Lana said quickly. 

“Let us know whenever you’re done eating,” Clark told her. “We can make sure you get home safe.” 

“I have my car. But thank you, Clark.” Chloe said, arching her eyebrows. 

He frowned a little, looking at her worriedly. “All right...” 

Oliver arched an eyebrow, watching as the couple was ushered to another table, not too far from theirs by one of the hostesses. 

Chloe watched them go then took a deep breath and turned to Oliver, “sorry about that.”

“It’s all right,” he told her with a reassuring smile.

She glanced over at the other two once more before reaching for her water and sipping on it.

He watched her for a moment, noting how uncomfortable she suddenly seemed. “Do you want to go somewhere else?” he offered. “Or we could just get our food to go and take a walk.” 

“No, it’s okay.” She told him. “They are far enough.” Even though she knew Clark was listening.

Oliver nodded, glancing over to the other table and meeting Clark’s eyes for a moment before looking back at her. “All right.” 

“What were we talking about?” She asked, trying to ignore the fact that both Clark and Lana were obviously still staring at them.

“School,” he told her with a small smile.

“Right,” she nodded slightly. That wasn’t any better. 

His smile slipped a little and he looked down at the table. 

Chloe paused and looked over at him, cocking her head and frowning at the look on his face. The kicked puppy look again, like the one she’d seen when he was at the Planet the previous day, “are you okay?”

“Hmm?” He plastered a smile onto his face once more. “Yeah, I’m fine.” 

She arched her eyebrows a little then nodded, “we can leave if you want to,” she offered since he was obviously lying.

“It’s all right. We already ordered,” he told her, shaking his head.

“Okay,” she nodded then sat back against her chair. She had questions to ask, but all of the sudden, she felt very self-conscious about what she should say.

* * * 

Oliver met her just outside the restaurant after paying for their dinner, shivering a little as he stepped onto the sidewalk and into the cold air. “How do you stand the cold?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

She buttoned up her coat then smiled up at him, a little amused, “it’s only in the forties,” she told him, “it’s actually warm for this time of the year.”

“This isn’t warm. Seventies is warm. Forties is freezing,” he protested, shaking his head.

“You better hope you’re not still stuck in Kansas in January,” she told him, “it will only get worse.”

Oliver shuddered, grimacing a little. “Seriously, how do you deal with this?” 

“Here’s a hint for when it gets really bad: layers.” She smirked a little. The rest of the dinner had been relatively quiet, with some more questions about work and he asked her about Metropolis, but that had been about it, but she still wanted to ask one more question before he left.

“Noted.” He smirked back at her, tucking his hands into his coat pockets. 

“Are you heading back to the Clocktower?” She asked, glancing up at him.

“It’s where I live,” he told her with a small smile.

“I know,” she told him then shrugged, “I parked at the Planet so I’m headed that way.” 

“Guess we’ll walk together?” he suggested, raising his eyebrows.

“Sure,” she agreed, glancing back at the restaurant to make sure they weren’t being followed before starting toward the Planet with Oliver.

They walked in silence for about a block, and then he glanced over at her sideways, sighing very softly. “I owe you an apology.” His voice was quiet.

Chloe blinked a couple of times in surprise and looked up at him, frowning, “you do?”

Oliver pursed his lips, nodding and looking ahead as they walked. “For blackmailing you into having dinner with me.” 

Chloe held her breath at that and shrugged a little, “why did you do it?”

He was silent for a moment. “I honestly just wanted to have dinner with you, and I didn’t think you’d agree to it.” 

“An interview with you was a pretty big step for my career,” she admitted then shrugged a little, “besides, I was curious.”

“Well, hopefully it helped,” he said quietly, a small smile on his face.

“Why did you want _me_ to have dinner with you?” She asked finally what she’d been wanting to ask all night.

He cocked his head to the side, raising his eyebrows. “Because I thought it would be nice to have dinner with a woman who wasn’t so intrigued by money that she wouldn’t hear a word I said.” He blinked, surprised that he’d actually said that out loud.

“Oh,” Chloe blinked a few times as she turned to stare at him, “even though you knew I wanted the interview?” She frowned, feeling like a horrible person.

He shrugged a little, turning to look at her, as well as he stopped walking. “Your articles weren’t focused on gossip. And like I said before, I have good instincts about people. I decided to take a chance.” 

“Right,” she said quietly, looking down, “I’m sure you can find someone decent.”

“I did,” he told her just as quietly.

Chloe frowned slightly and cocked her head, staring at him for a moment, “what happened?” 

He paused, raising his eyebrows. “We had dinner,” he teased.

She blinked a couple of times and stared at him for yet another moment then smirked, “right.”

He winked at her, then offered her his arm silently.

Pursing her lips together, she hesitated then took his arm and held her breath as she looked up at him, she couldn’t help but feel bad for the guy. With his name and his money, she was sure it was hard to get close to people because he probably could never be sure if they were trying to use him for something. And she really was no different.

“So it felt like you got kind of uncomfortable when your friends from high school showed up,” he said casually as they walked. 

She blinked a couple of times then looked up at him before nodding, “I guess I just wasn’t expecting it.” And now she was expecting a phone call from Clark where he’d ask her a thousand questions about what was going on.

He nodded slightly, meeting her eyes for a second, and then sighing inwardly as they arrived at her car. “I hope I didn’t make you too uncomfortable tonight,” he said sincerely.

“No,” she said quietly, looking down then up at him again as she pulled her arm from his and turned to face him, “although I guess I should apologize to you too.”

“You don’t owe me an apology.” 

“Yeah, I do.” She told him, “you might have used the interview to ask me to dinner, but I only said yes because of the interview, which makes us even so if you apologized, I should too.”

He considered her for a long moment, then held his hand out. “Let’s shake on it.” 

She smiled a little at that then nodded, taking his hand and shaking it.

He smiled back, and looked down for a moment, then back up at her. “Now what do you say we pretend none of it happened?” 

Chloe chewed on her bottom lip for a moment then nodded, “we can do that.”

Oliver nodded as well. “Hi, I’m Oliver.” He held his hand out once more, raising his eyebrows.

She paused and grinned softly at that then shook her head before taking his offered hand again, “I’m Chloe.”

When she played along, he grinned back at her, shaking her hand once more. “Nice to meet you, Chloe. That’s a beautiful name. It fits.” 

“Okay, starting over doesn’t mean you get to turn up the charm,” she told him, arching her eyebrows.

His eyes widened in feigned innocence. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

“I already told you you’re an interesting guy,” she told him, shrugging slightly, “you really don’t need that.” She said before she could stop herself. Maybe the fact that he was always ready to be such a flirt was what stopped him from finding someone who actually cared about him.

“Actually, I think you’re the more interesting one here,” he commented, studying her. “Or do you usually turn down compliments from anyone who gives you one?’ 

Chloe paused at that and shrugged, “there’s a lot you don’t know about me.” She told him as she reached for her keys.

“I’m aware,” he said quietly, sighing softly. “Have a good night, Chloe. Get home safe.” He turned and headed away. 

“You too.” She called without looking at him as she quickly got into her car and drove off, her chest tight for some reason she couldn’t really understand.


	4. Chapter 4

The interview had been out for less than seventy-two hours and she was already having a hard time finding something bigger to report. She had made the front page, above the fold, which had been nice and on the Sunday paper on top of it. But now that she was pretty much guaranteed a promotion, she knew she had to keep it up. 

Which meant she had spent the past three days doing her best to score another interview or get an amazing lead but so far, no luck. And now she was absolutely exhausted and the drive back to Smallville wasn’t going to be easy. It was nights like this that she wished she had kept the dorm. Lack of privacy and all. 

With a deep breath, she rubbed a hand over her face then instead of making her way to her car, she headed to the coffee house that luckily, was still open. She would need it to make the drive back.

Less than a block away, a young man smirked at a pretty brunette that he had cornered in the alley. “Give me your purse,” he ordered. 

Chloe paused when she heard the voice, followed by the gasp of a woman. She stilled and reached inside her purse, looking for her taser. 

“I don’t have any money,” the woman said, holding her hands up.

“Give me your purse,” he said again, narrowing his eyes at her. “Don’t piss me off.” 

“It’s just my documents,” she pleaded, shaking her head, “I don’t have cash.”

He held up one hand, palm up, a ball of fire resting there as he smirked at her. “You sure about that?” 

Chloe stilled, eyes widening when she saw the small fireball on the man’s hand and without warning she ran forward, pressing the taser against his back and hitting the button on it.

He yelled but didn’t fall, turning and throwing the ball of flame at her, flames surrounding her and raising up, licking at the ground all around her. “You stupid bitch.” 

The woman grabbed her purse and ran without looking back. 

Chloe gasped and stilled, her taser flying out of her hand as she stepped back and tried to keep from coming close to the fire.

“Burn, baby, burn,” he whispered, smirking at her and then turning and running off, leaving her there.

“Cla--” She tried to call but coughed, covering her face as she felt like all the air left her lungs.

She was suddenly swooped up and flying through the air, an arm tight around her waist as they soared several feet away, a safe distance from the fire. 

Chloe kept her eyes closed and held onto him tightly, gasping and coughing quietly again as she lowered her head.

He set her down on her feet carefully. “You’re safe now,” he told her, his voice distorted and mechanical.

She stilled when she realized he wasn’t Clark and pulled away instantly, her eyes wide as she looked up at him.

Nodding at her, he released the button on his bow and went sailing up, up and onto the rooftop, waving at her.

Blinking a few times, she stared, her eyes wide as she watched as the man in green disappeared into the night.

* * * 

It was two days later that the Daily Planet headline broke: Green Arrow Saves Lives, Vanishes Into Night. Which definitely beat the Inquisitor’s headline: Green Arrow Bandit Stole Artifact From Local Museum. 

Which he _had_ , but it wasn’t like he’d _kept_ said artifact. He’d simply returned it to its rightful owner, who happened to be halfway across the globe.

He wasn’t the least bit surprised that the former headline had been broken by none other than Chloe Sullivan. He had to admit, he was impressed with her fact-checking _and_ her writing. It was hard to believe she was a college student and not a full time, accredited reporter. He was reading over the article again, chewing the inside of his cheek as he sat at the table outside some coffee shop, sipping on a cup of hot tea. 

She had been feeling a lot better about her career after she printed the article on Green Arrow, a name she and Lois had had a long discussion about before printing their respective articles. Mostly, she felt good because while she no longer felt comfortable with looking into Oliver Queen as closely, she had no problem researching the new local vigilante. 

Chloe was feeling particularly good now that she had had a meeting with her editor and he had told her she should be expecting a promotion soon. So she had allowed herself a quick break on her research and had headed over to the coffee shop for a fresh cup of coffee. Of course, when she got there, she hadn’t expected to see none other than Oliver Queen. 

She considered ducking her head and pretending not to see him, but she couldn’t bring herself to. Slowly, she approached him and pursed her lips together, “Oliver?” She called quietly.

He blinked a couple of times at the sound of someone calling his name, looking up and feeling mild surprise when he found himself gazing at the author of the article he’d been reading. “Chloe,” he said cautiously, offering her a somewhat uncertain smile and nod.

“I’m surprised you’re still in Metropolis,” she said, glancing down at the paper in front of him then back at his face.

He raised his eyebrows at that and set the paper down on the table. “Our date wasn’t _that_ awkward, Chloe,” he said, eyes bright with amusement.

She blinked a couple of times, surprised at his answer, “well, I was considering the cold weather and the fact that it’s supposed to start snowing.” 

He grimaced, kicking himself mentally. “Right. That.” 

“We have a storm coming,” she told him, arching her eyebrows. 

“Guess I’d better stock up on food and supplies then,” he told her. 

She couldn’t help but smirk at that and shook her head a little, “it won’t be that bad.” 

“Hah. That’s what they always say.” He smirked back at her, then glanced down at the paper once more. “Good article.” 

She found her cheeks getting warm at the compliment but nodded a little, “thank you.” 

“You’re welcome,” he said quietly, smiling a little as he looked up at her once more, chewing the inside of his cheek. 

“Have you seen him around?” She asked, “you’re downtown a lot.”

“Can’t say that I have,” he said carefully, watching her. “Sounds like a lot of other people have, though.” 

“Yeah,” she nodded slightly, “he seems to have been helping people around Metropolis for a few weeks now, I can’t believe I didn’t notice him until now.”

“Maybe he didn’t want to be noticed,” Oliver suggested.

“I guess most vigilantes don’t, that’s why they are vigilantes,” she smirked then shrugged, “but people who are helping other people should be recognized for it.”

He paused at that, gazing at her for a moment. “I guess so.” 

She shrugged a little and nodded at him, “just how I see it.” She told him, “but I should go get my coffee and get back to work.”

“Chloe, wait.” He exhaled slowly and rose to his feet. “Look, I feel like we keep getting off on the wrong foot.” 

Chloe paused and turned to face him again then nodded a little, “I guess we do.”

He gazed at her. “What do you say I buy you a cup of coffee? No strings attached.” 

Pursing her lips together, she watched him for a moment. She knew she should just thank him but tell him no and walk away, but she had been thinking of him on and off for the past four days and she knew she had to at least figure out why she couldn’t get him out of her head, “okay,” she agreed, “no strings.”

He smiled a little, nodding and picking up his copy of the newspaper, opening and holding the door to the coffee shop for her. 

She looked up at him for a moment then made her way into the coffee shop, adjusting her purse over her shoulder then starting toward the counter. 

Oliver nodded politely at the barista, offering her a small smile. 

“I didn’t realize you were still here, Mr. Queen.” The girl’s eyes were wide. 

“I was reading the paper,” he admitted, holding it up. “I’d like to have another glass of the hot tea, and whatever Ms. Sullivan would like.” 

Chloe hesitated as she glanced up at Oliver then back at the barista, “the usual,” she told her, hoping the girl would remember so she wouldn’t have to order it in front of him. 

The barista looked between them, a smile lighting up her face. “Coming right up,” she said cheerfully, setting to work. 

“Thank you,” Chloe told her, relaxing then looking up at Oliver before repeating, “and thank you.”

He offered her a hesitant, but genuine smile. “You’re welcome,” he said quietly.

“I’m surprised you were sitting outside in this weather,” she commented. 

“Trying to acclimate myself to the cold, I guess,” he told her with a slight shrug. “Plus I caught sight of your byline and wanted to read your article.” 

She smiled a little at that and nodded, “at least this one wasn’t on you.”

He met her gaze and smiled again, as well, a hint of something else in his eyes. “I’m just glad to have finally met a reporter with actual integrity.” 

“I can assure you I’m not the only one,” she told him quietly.

“Good to know,” he said just as quietly, holding his breath for a moment. He paid the barista when she returned with their drinks a few seconds later. “Thank you.” 

“Thanks,” Chloe smiled at the girl as she took the coffee then sipped on it and looked over at Oliver again. 

He pursed his lips for a moment, then ducked his head a little. “I should get out of your hair. Maybe I’ll see you around again sometime.” 

She paused and looked down too then nodded a little, “yeah, if you start hanging out here, I’m sure we will.” She told him. She had the feeling she’d be coming here even more often now.

He glanced up at her, holding his breath and smiling a little. “Well, the hot tea is very good,” he said quietly, taking a sip. 

“I wouldn’t know,” she smiled a little, “but the coffee is great.”

Oliver nodded, lifting his cup in the air just a little. “See you later,” he said softly, turning and heading for the door. 

“Bye,” she said quietly, watching him go and sipping on her coffee before starting to make her way out too.

* * * 

He stood outside his car, staring in disbelief at the sight before him, for once barely noticing how cold it was outside. It had snowed at least eighteen inches the night before according to the weatherman, but Oliver was fairly certain it was more like a _hundred_ and eighteen. He wondered how his life had managed to lead him to that moment, where he was staring at his corvette, which was not only stuck on the curb, but up against a light pole that he’d hit turning the corner. 

To top it off, there was a crowd of people around, staring and talking excitedly. 

He was pretty sure it couldn’t get much worse.

“Oliver?” Chloe called, her eyes widening as she made her way through the forming crowd and toward where he was, seemingly okay.

...and of course he was wrong. Again. 

He groaned inaudibly before turning to face her, not able to muster a smile. “Hey.” 

“What... happened?” She asked, frowning a little as she cocked her head, looking from the car to him.

“My car is apparently not meant to be driven in this kind of weather.” 

"No, it's definitely not," she agreed, arching her eyebrows and smirking a little then shaking her head, “are you alright?”

“Only my pride is wounded,” he assured her with a grimace. Especially _now_.

“That’s a problem I’m sure you won’t have a problem handling.” She said, arching her eyebrows.

“And here I thought you were a reporter, not a comedian,” he said, giving her a look.

“Well I’m done with my reporter duties for the night if you need a ride anywhere.” She offered.

He shivered a little, pulling his coat tighter around him. “I have to wait for a tow,” he said gloomily. 

“Okay,” Chloe nodded a little and looked over at her car parked across the street, “mine is still in one piece and the heat should work.”

He paused, chewing the inside of his cheek and raising his eyebrows a little. “Are you sure?” 

“Yeah, I don’t have any place to be and you don’t need to look anymore miserable and embarrassed than you already do.”

A faint smile touched his mouth. “Thanks for taking pity on me.” 

“You’re welcome,” she said quietly, glancing at the crowd then back at him, “come on.”

Drawing in a breath, he tucked his hands into his coat pockets, shivering a little again and ducking his head as he followed her to her car, climbing into the passenger seat. 

Chloe quickly tossed some paper and files on the back seat then turned toward him again, “sorry.” 

“It’s fine,” he assured her.

She turned up the heat as high as it would go and turned the vents toward him. “how long have you been here?”

“About twenty minutes,” he admitted.

“It will warm up soon,” she told him quietly.

“Thanks,” he said just as quietly, setting his jaw to keep his teeth from chattering. He really wasn’t cut out for the cold. “Been a few days. How are things?” 

“Not bad, busy as usual.” She told him, smiling softly, “semester is over with though, so I’m just focusing on work.”

Oliver smiled faintly, nodding a little. “Any big holiday plans?” he asked. 

“No, I’ll probably end up having to work so I’m keeping it that way, you?” She asked, turning on her seat toward him.

He pursed his lips. “I don’t really do the whole holiday thing,” he admitted, shaking his head.

She frowned and shrugged a little, “ever?”

He glanced over at her, offering her a quick smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “No.” 

“Oh,” she pursed her lips together, “is it a religious thing?”

He blinked a couple of times, caught off guard. “No...” 

“Just figured I’d check,” she shrugged, smiling a little.

Oliver smiled faintly and shook his head, glancing out the windshield and grimacing when he realized it had started snowing again. “Holidays just aren’t my thing,” he said softly.

“Or the cold, right?” She said quietly, looking out the window too.

“Right,” he agreed, nodding. “I’m a California guy.” 

“Can you feel your fingers yet?” She asked, leaning back against her seat.

“Barely,” he said lightly, trying to lighten the mood.

She nodded a little and turned the vent a little more toward him, “the tow truck might be a while with the weather.”

Without thinking about it, he reached out and pressed his cold fingers lightly to her arm.

Chloe jumped and gasped quietly, looking over at him with wide eyes, “holy crap. How did you manage that?”

He grinned involuntarily. “Forgot gloves,” he confessed.

“I never wear any unless I’m breaking into some place,” she said without thinking about it then touched his arm, “and I still feel alive.”

His eyes widened just a little. “Whoa, back up there, Miss Intrepid Reporter. Breaking into some place?” 

She pulled her hand back and arched her eyebrows, “what?” She said, eyes a little wide as she realized what she had said.

He arched his own eyebrows. “You’re the one who said it,” he pointed out.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said, arching her eyebrows.

Oliver smirked. “Minoring in breaking and entering?” His voice was teasing, but he was more than a little intrigued.

Chloe shifted and frowned, “it’s... part of the job.” She told him, pursing her lips together.

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. “I’m not judging.” 

“You’re not?” She frowned once more, this time in surprise.

He was silent for a moment, and he glanced over at her. “I think sometimes some rules have to get broken for the greater good.” 

“I agree,” she told him, “which is why I think the vigilantes should be respected.”

Oliver held his breath for a moment, considering her words carefully, even though he was surprised by the somewhat abrupt change in topic. “Then I guess they’re lucky guys to have you in their corner.” 

“Now if only I could get their attention enough to get inside information,” she smiled a little. With Green Arrow anyway. Clark hadn’t been doing much these days.

“For more stories?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“Yeah, and you know, better publicity,” she told him, “maybe if more people backed them up, crime would go down just because people would know they are out there.”

Oliver blinked a couple of times, surprised once more by her answer. She had a point. He chewed the inside of his cheek, nodding a little. “Yeah, that makes sense,” he murmured. 

“Once the weather gets better I’ll start chasing him again,” she told him, “crime usually goes down when it’s snowing anyway. Maybe the criminals are also from California,” she teased.

He shifted a little, his heart beating faster at her words. He smiled and shook his head a little. “Hey, now. Don’t be dissing California,” he teased back. 

“Not dissing,” she grinned, “just using logic.”

“Or maybe most people are normal and dislike the freezing temperatures.” He smirked at her.

“Well I never said I _enjoy_ it,” she pointed out, “just doesn’t bother me so much. Thin skinned.” She teased.

He widened his eyes and then sent her a playful glare. “You’re a rude hostess,” he declared.

“Hey, you’re warmer aren’t you?” She pointed out, arching her eyebrows.

Oliver grinned, glancing out the windshield once more, fairly certain this was the best conversation they’d had.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, a large bouquet of orange lillies was set on Chloe’s desk, along with a card tucked under the vase. There was also a small balloon that said “Thank you” stuck in the bouquet. Her co-workers were already eyeing them curiously, particularly Jimmy, who had a deep frown on his face as he sat sullenly at his own desk. 

Chloe didn’t notice the flowers or the look on Jimmy’s face, she’d been texting Lois about what to get Lucy for Christmas even though the younger girl was still in Europe, and just as she set her purse down on her desk along with her keys, she stilled. 

Slowly, Chloe lifted her head and looked at the flowers, her eyes widening as she reached for the card, glancing around as she started trying to figure out who they were for, because surely, this must be a mistake. 

She noticed the look on Jimmy’s face and sat down to read the card without being stared at.

The card read _Thanks for helping a California boy stay warm in this weather. OQ._

Her heart skipped a beat and her face got warm instantly, she re-read the card a couple of times then looked over at the flowers, touching them and smiling as she shook her head a little. 

She reached for her phone, glad she had given him her number in case of weather-related emergencies last night, and that he had given her his too, so she could properly thank him. 

Even as she dialed, she pulled the phone to her ear and made her way back up the stairs.

“Queen,” Oliver greeted as he picked up his cell phone and pressed it to his ear, not looking at the caller ID first. 

“You sound busy,” she said, arching her eyebrows, “it’s Chloe.”

He paused at that, a smile touching his mouth involuntarily. “My heroine. Good morning.” 

“Hardly,” she told him, “good morning.”

“What’s up?” he asked, trying his best to sound casual. 

“Just figured I’d thank you for the massive amount of flowers that miraculously appeared on my desk this morning.” She smiled, shaking her head. 

He smiled, too. “I wasn’t sure what kind you’d like,” he admitted. “But the lilies were pretty, so I took a chance.” 

“They are beautiful,” she nodded slightly, “and my favorite color.”

He made a mental note of that, smiling a bit more. “I’m glad you like them.” 

“You really didn’t have to do that.” She told him quietly.

“I wanted to.” 

“Thanks,” she told him again, smiling a little. 

“You’re welcome,” he said softly. 

“You haven’t tried driving anywhere else, right?” She said before she could stop herself.

He smirked. “No. I think I’ll stick to walking for the time being.” 

“Good idea, but be careful not to break a leg.” She smirked, arching her eyebrows. 

Oliver narrowed his eyes even though she obviously couldn’t see him. “You’re a regular comedian, Sullivan.” 

Chloe shrugged and smiled, “just figured I’d give you the warning and if you do need a ride anywhere, the offer still stands.”

He smiled again, ducking his head a little. “Appreciated. Very much.” His voice grew quiet.

“Welcome,” she said sincerely. 

He chewed the inside of his cheek. “Would you maybe be interested in having lunch with me sometime this week?” 

She paused and arched her eyebrows,”I-- yeah,” she said quietly.

He held his breath for a moment. “Really?” His voice was hopeful. 

“Yeah,” she breathed, shrugging a little, “just lunch, right?”

“Yeah. What day is best for you?” 

“Somehow, I think my schedule will be much easier to work with than yours,” she told him, “I have a meeting today but I should be free for lunch the rest of the week.”

“Would Wednesday work for you, then?” he asked, glancing at his schedule and seeing that it was free of meetings and business during the noon hour.

“Yeah,” Chloe nodded, holding her breath, “what time?”

“Noon?” he suggested.

“That works for me,” she told him, smiling a little. 

“Great,” he said softly, smiling, as well. “Should we just meet at the Planet?” 

“Sure,” she paused, frowning, “but are you sure you want to be seen around here again?”

He raised his eyebrows a little. “Does it make you uncomfortable?” 

“Well, no, but I’m sure it’s a lot for you to deal with.” She said quietly.

“I’ve been dealing with it my whole life,” he said just as quietly. “So as long as you’re not bothered by it, I’m fine with it.” 

“It’s part of my job,” she told him, “so I’ll see you here.”

“See you,” he echoed, a soft smile on his face as he hung up the phone.

* * *

Chloe had been keeping busy all Wednesday morning, but still, she kept on checking the clock every few seconds. She just didn’t want to be taken by surprise when he got there. 

Oliver drew in a breath as he approached her desk, straightening his tie and smoothing it down, offering her a smile when he was standing beside her. “Hi.” 

She blinked and instinctively looked up to the clock on her computer then up at him, it was exactly noon. “Hi.” She said, pushing her chair back.

“Ready for lunch?” he asked quietly, raising his eyebrows a little. 

“Yeah,” she nodded, smiling a little, “I guess I didn’t expect you to be so on time.”

He suppressed a smirk. “And here I thought you didn’t read tabloids,” he said good-naturedly. 

“I don’t remember _ever_ saying that,” she smirked, arching her eyebrows as she grabbed her purse.

He smirked, too. “Touche.” 

“Should we go?” She asked, keeping her eyes on him rather than focusing on everyone else in the room.

Oliver nodded, starting to offer her his arm, but then hesitating, not sure whether she’d be embarrassed or not. 

She chewed on the inside of her lip and smiled softly at him then started toward the elevator without taking his arm. She didn’t want to start any rumors. 

He understood her hesitation, and followed her silently, trying not to feel too disappointed. 

Chloe remained quiet until they were in the elevator and the doors were closed. “That wasn’t as bad as I expected,” she commented. 

“You mean the staring and whispers?” he asked lightly, glancing at her sideways.

“Yeah,” she smirked, “I didn’t expect them to be so discreet.” 

“They might not be so discreet when you get back,” he warned softly. “Even if they have no reason not to be.” 

“Well I’m not worried about that, I just didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” She told him.

He shrugged a little, offering her a small smile. “Like I said before, I’m used to the attention.” 

“Yeah, well, no need for it.” She shrugged then stood up straight when the elevator doors opened.

“Agreed,” he said with a nod, letting her lead the way out of the elevator and into the lobby, then toward the exit. 

She made her way with him outside silently then glanced back at him when, “where are we going?” She asked.

“I figured I’d let you pick. You’re the expert about Metropolis. I’m still pretty much the new guy in town.” He smiled. “What’s good?” 

“Oh, no pressure,” she arched her eyebrows, “depends on what kind of food you want.”

“Honestly, Chloe, I’m not that picky,” he told her. “What’s your favorite place? Let’s go there.” 

“Well, there is this one Italian restaurant, but... I don’t think we should do Italian this time.” She smirked. “How do you feel about Thai?”

He shook his head a little. “Thai’s fine,” he assured her.

“Okay,” she nodded, “and the best thing about it, it’s within walking distance.”

“Hopefully I won’t break my leg on the way there.” He smirked.

“I’ll do my best to keep you out of the black ice.”

“Black ice?” he echoed, his eyebrows furrowing.

“Really?” Chloe asked, arching her eyebrows in surprise.

Oliver glanced at her sideways, smirking.

She grinned and shook her head, “Well, if you really didn’t know, I could just tell you it was that thing that caused you to crash your million dollar car.”

“It wasn’t a million dollars,” he informed her as they walked. He tucked his hands into his coat pockets and smiled.

“Oh, was it two?” She asked, keeping as much of a straight face as she could.

He snorted involuntarily. “For the record, it was only a hundred thousand.” 

“I’d take that on record, but I don’t think it would make the front page,” she teased.

Oliver grinned. “Yeah, probably not,” he agreed. 

“How are things going with the Metropolis office?” She asked, glancing up at him.

“Slow,” he admitted, glancing at her, as well. “It’ll probably take at least six months, if not longer.” 

“Oh,” she arched her eyebrows, “so you’re stuck here all winter?”

“Looks like,” he said, nodding as their feet crunched against the snow on the sidewalk. “But it’s all right. Minor car wreck and freezing weather aside, I’m starting to like Metropolis.” 

“Yeah?” She asked, arched her eyebrows, a little surprised.

“Yeah, it definitely has some great things going for it.” He smiled, glancing at her and raising his eyebrows, as well.

Chloe cocked her head and blinked then shrugged, “it’s my favorite city, but I’m highly biased.”

“Naturally,” he said with a soft smile.

“It’s over here,” she said, nodding at the door for the restaurant.

He followed her to the door, pulling it open and shivering a little. “It’s supposed to snow again tonight.” 

“I know,” she glanced up at him then smiled at the hostess, “two please,” she told her, then turned to Oliver again, “and it’s not supposed to stop until Christmas.”

He grimaced a little--both at the thought of so much more snow _and_ at the mention of Christmas. “Good thing I’m stocked up on plenty of food.” 

“Yeah,” she smirked, “but it won’t be that much snow, I don’t think.”

“There’s still three days til Christmas,” he pointed out.

“Yeah,” she nodded, then shrugged a little, “doesn’t feel like enough time.”

“Not done with all your shopping?” he asked, following her to the table when the hostess returned.

“Not by a long shot, at least I’m pretty sure I won’t be there for the Christmas party so, that should give me some extra time.”

“What Christmas party?” He cocked his head, watching her as he sat down across from her.

“At my friend’s-- Clark’s house, you met him.” She explained as she pulled her coat off before sitting down.

“Oh.” He nodded a little, chewing the inside of his cheek. “But you think you’ll have to work?” 

“Yeah, I might leave early enough and get there before it’s over, maybe.” She shrugged.

“You should,” he said quietly.

“It’s just a day,” she told him, “mostly, I’ll try to make it for my dad but I don’t care about it that much.”

Oliver gazed at her. “Are you and your dad close?” 

“Yeah,” she nodded, “we have a pretty small family.” She admitted then paused, feeling a little awkward when she remembered he had _no_ family. She’d have to change the subject.

He smiled faintly. “It’s good that you’re close,” he said softly. “Family’s important.” 

Her chest tightened at that and she held her breath. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up anything...”

“No, it’s okay,” he assured her, shaking his head. 

“You should try their soup,” she said, bluntly changing the subject, “it’ll warm you up.”

Oliver blinked at the abrupt subject change, pausing for a moment. “Right. Okay.” 

“It’s just an appetizer, but it’s kinda spicy,” she went on despite the look on his face.

“Chloe.” He drew in a breath, shaking his head a little. 

“Yeah?” She asked, arching her eyebrows as she watched him.

“I’m not upset,” he said quietly, reaching out and covering her hand with his own for a moment. “It’s okay to talk about your dad, and any other family you have.” 

She shifted a little and pursed her lips, “I wasn’t thinking and with the holidays,” she shrugged a little, “we should talk about something else.”

“I brought it up,” he pointed out.

“Still...” she said quietly. 

“Part of getting to know someone is finding out about their family and friends, right?” His voice was just as quiet. 

“Yeah,” she agreed, “but maybe you should talk about it some more than just asking me questions, then.”

He chewed the inside of his cheek, considering.

“Do you have any close friends?” She asked, pursing her lips together.

He shook his head a little. “You’d think, wouldn’t you?” He smiled faintly. “Plenty of people have tried, but mostly they seem to be interested in what I can do for them.” He shrugged.

Her face fell and she held her breath, “must be lonely,” she whispered.

“Yeah, it can be,” he admitted, glancing down, and then back up at her. “It also does make it hard to have actual people skills that aren’t...well, part of the whole billionaire CEO persona.” 

And it definitely made sense why he didn’t celebrate the Holidays, “you don’t sound like him when you’re talking to me,” she said, “not since the interview, anyway.”

He smiled faintly. “I’m glad to hear that,” he said honestly.

“Maybe you just have to do whatever you’re doing now,” she smiled slightly too.

“Maybe,” he agreed, searching her eyes. 

“And relax,” she smiled a little more.

“I’ll have to work on that one.” 

“I can’t blame you,” she shrugged a little, “you kinda need to trust someone, at least a little, before you can relax.”

He smiled, giving her hand a light squeeze before letting go of it with a nod and sitting back in his chair. She sat back too and relaxed slightly, nodding at him as she reached for her water and sipped on it. 

“What made you want to be a reporter?” he asked, watching her as he took a drink from his own glass. 

“Well, I always liked the whole investigation thing,” she told him, “when I was still going to school here in Metropolis, we had a field trip to the Planet and I just fell in love with it then.”

“So it’s been kind of a life-long dream?” 

“Pretty much,” she smiled, shrugging, ”since I was eight, anyway.”

Oliver smiled back at her, taking note of how bright her eyes were when she talked about her job and the Planet. She clearly had a real passion for what she did, and that was something he could relate to. 

“What about you?” She asked, “Anything else you’d rather do?”

“You mean, what did I want to do when I was eight?” He smiled a bit more. “I wanted to be Robin Hood.” He offered her a sheepish grin, shrugging. “But you know, it was sort of unrealistic.” 

“Well, I wanted to be April O’Neil, and found the next best thing,” she smirked. 

He chuckled. “I suppose so.” He glanced up as the waiter showed up at their table to take their orders. 

Chloe ordered quickly, without looking at the menu, then waited for him to place his order, once he was done, she smiled. “Obviously, I come here pretty often.”

He smiled back. “Well, it smells really great in here.” 

“It’s good food, and it’s pretty different,” she smiled.

“Different is good,” he agreed. 

“Agreed,” she nodded, “so what other places have you tried in the city?”

“I ordered in from Little Italy’s--that pizza place down the street--a couple days ago at the office. It was pretty good.” 

“It is,” she agreed, grinning, “you seem to like Italian food a lot.”

“It’s one of my favorites,” he admitted. “But I actually like cooking my own food over eating out a lot. I just don’t always have time.” 

“Really?” She asked, surprised, “what is your favorite to cook?”

“When I have time, lasagna. I make great lasagna.” He grinned.

“That sounds nice,” she smiled, arching her eyebrows.

“Maybe I can make it sometime and you can try it. See what you think.” His eyes were bright.

“Yeah,” she smiled. “If you have time, that sounds good. And I never say no for home cooked meals.”

“I don’t think most people do,” he admitted with a smile. 

“No, usually not. And if you want more recommendations of places to eat, I can help with that.” She offered. 

“Yeah, I’m always open to suggestions,” he told her, nodding. 

“I’ll try to come up with a list.” She smiled softly, relaxing against her chair. At least, it didn’t seem like they were going to screw their conversation up this time.

“Cool.” He smiled back at her, finding himself relaxing more as they talked. She might be a reporter, but she definitely wasn’t like any of the reporters he’d ever known before. And that was a good thing.


	6. Chapter 6

It was just past ten, but the streets of downtown Metropolis were already empty, it hadn’t started snowing yet, so it was absolutely freezing, even for her. She shivered slightly and buttoned her coat up as she lowered her head and made her way toward her car.

“Don’t you know it’s dangerous to walk alone at night?” The voice was mechanical and came from just a few feet away.

Chloe jumped then stilled, turning around, her eyes widening for a moment when she saw him hanging there, then she swallowed hard, “not with people like you around.”

A smirk tugged at his mouth. “I have to say, I like your articles far better than the ones The Inquisitor writes about me.” 

She winced inwardly then shrugged a little, “glad to know I got your attention.”

“Undivided currently,” he informed her.

“ _Really_?” She asked, straightening despite the cold, “and why is that?”

“Curiosity.” He dropped down the rest of the way to the ground, his boots hitting the pavement. 

“I’m open for questions if you are,” she told him, cocking her head as she tried to get a better look at him.

“Depends on the question,” he responded, smirking a little. 

“Don’t worry,” she smirked, “I don’t plan on asking for your real name.”

“Good. I rather like the nickname you came up with, personally.” 

“Better than bandit?” She asked before she could stop herself.

“I’m not a criminal,” he told her, then paused. “Well, technically I guess I am, but not in that sense.” 

“I know,” she arched her eyebrows, “I finally managed to figure out who you handed that necklace to, should be on the front page tomorrow.”

He cocked his head to the side. “You seem to have a lot of faith in a guy you don’t even know.” 

“I know the facts, that’s enough for work. Besides, I tend to give people who save my life a little more credit.” She smirked.

“Fair enough,” he agreed, watching her.

“Besides,” she went on, hoping this would help him trust her a little more, “I know others like you.”

“Like the Red-Blue Blur?” 

“Maybe,” she told him vaguely.

His mouth turned upwards at the corner. “Don’t worry. I’m not out to reveal anyone’s secrets.” 

“I know,” she cocked her head, “but it’s not my secret to tell.”

“Wasn’t asking you to,” he assured her. “But as far as I’m aware, that’s the only other vigilante in the city.” He shrugged. “Maybe we can start a club.” 

“Maybe you should, and I can assure you he’s not the only other one.”

“That’s good to know,” he said honestly. “There’s a lot of people who need help.” 

“There are, and we are lucky to have you guys.” She said just as honestly.

“I have a feeling we’re lucky to have _you_ on our side.” 

“All I’m doing is trying to make you more popular with the citizens and trying to scare away the bad guys at the same time, everyone wins.” She smiled.

“Not everyone agrees, but I stand by my statement.” He couldn’t help but smile back at her.

“We will get them to agree eventually.” she told him. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Shoot,” he said, nodding slightly.

“Why do you do it?” She asked, watching him closely, as much as she could.

He was silent for a moment. “I wanted to make a difference,” he admitted. “And I’m good with archery.” 

She smiled and nodded, arching her eyebrows knowingly, “looks like I was right about you being one of the good guys.”

“I’m trying,” he told her with a small smile.

“You know,” she pursed her lips together, “if you ever feel like getting some extra publicity, I can definitely help.”

“I wouldn’t go to anyone else,” he told her, pausing as he heard sirens wailing in the distance.

She glanced toward the noise then back at him, “I guess you have to go?”

“It’s sort of my cue,” he agreed, pulling his bow off his back. “Be safe, Sullivan.” 

“You too,” she paused, “Arrow.”

He flashed her a grin and held on as the anchor line he fired to the roof of the next building sent him flying through the air.

* * *

Chloe had driven home that night to spend some time with her dad. It was Christmas Eve and she didn’t expect to be home until late tomorrow, so they agreed to have dinner together. He had already gone to bed and she was in her old room, researching, when her phone started to ring, “hey Lo.”

“Hey. Merry Christmas Eve,” she said with a smile. “What’s up?” 

“Merry Christmas Eve,” she echoed, “not much, I’m at dad’s and he’s already in bed, you?”

“It’s only nine,” she said, raising her eyebrows. “Remind him for me tomorrow that he’s not eighty.” Her voice was light. 

“He’s had a long day,” Chloe grinned, “apparently he volunteered at the Christmas Party on main.”

Lois smirked. “That explains it.” 

“What are you up to?” She asked.

“The graveyard shift at the Inquisitor.” She sighed. “Appropriately, it’s pretty much dead here.”

“I feel your pain, I’ll be at the Planet tomorrow night.” She told her.

“What? No! What about the Kent’s Christmas party?” Lois frowned.

“I know, but I had already volunteered and apparently they took me up on it. But dad will be there.”

She sighed, frown deepening. “We’ll get together the day after Christmas though, right?” 

“Yeah, of course,” she smiled, “already have your gift wrapped back at the Talon and everything.”

“Ooh.” Her face lit up. “I can hardly wait.” 

“And make sure to bring me some leftovers if there are any,” she smiled.

“Count on it,” Lois promised.

“Thanks, Lo, and i’m sorry I will miss it.”

She sighed softly. “I know. Guess I’ll be dealing with Smallville all by my lonesome. But someone has to keep him in line, right?” 

“Well, I guess you didn’t hear about that then, huh?” She asked, arching her eyebrows.

“Hear about what?” she asked uncertainly.

“He and Lana are going to her aunt Nell’s, so they won’t be there until later in the evening,” Chloe explained.

Lois sighed heavily. “Maybe I’ll just sign up to work, too.” 

“No, Lo, it will be good. Dad will be there and Mrs. Kent loves you. Besides, she invited half the town.”

“I guess,” she grumbled. 

“It will be fun and you can get drunk and make dad drive you home,” she offered.

“Oh, I’m sure he’d love that.” 

“You’re old enough for it now,” Chloe grinned.

Lois smirked at that, raising her eyebrows. Then she groaned. “Ugh, hang on a sec. Got a call coming in.” 

Chloe frowned and arched her eyebrows, “okay, maybe it’s a big scoop.” 

A few moments later, she returned to the line, excitement in her voice. “You weren’t wrong!” 

Her eyes widened and she stood up,” what?” She asked, “what happened?”

Lois pursed her lips. “Some witnesses saw the Bandit get shot a few blocks from here. I’m going to go check it out.” 

“Green Arrow?” Chloe gasped, her stomach dropping at the same second, “is he okay!?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted, rising to her feet and grabbing her coat. 

“Well, you need to find out and... I will try to get there.” Chloe told her, heart beating fast. 

“You’re in Smallville,” Lois pointed out, frowning. “Don’t drive back so late for this. I’ll figure out what’s going on and call you back.” 

She swallowed hard and nodded, “make sure he’s okay.” She told Lois.

“I will,” she said, sounding slightly impatient. “I’ll call you.” 

“Thanks. Go.” Chloe told her, turning toward her laptop that she thankfully had brought back from work with her and sitting back down in front of it. She had to set up a police scanner and find out what the hell was going on.

* * * 

Lois was breathless as she stared at the sidewalk, snapped another picture and then pressed her cousin’s speed dial number, her heart beating fast in her chest.

“What did you find?” Chloe asked the second the phone started ringing.

“Blood. A lot of it,” she told her.

Her stomach dropped and she closed her eyes, “do you see a trail?”

“Yeah, down an alley and then it just sorta vanishes.” Lois glanced around, noting the people still lingering around. “There are still people here. I wonder if they saw anything.” 

“Don’t bother with them yet.” Chloe told her, “find your way to the nearest rooftop, where the trail ends. He might have managed to hide, but if he’s hurt that badly, he will need help getting to someone, Lois.” She said firmly.

“Right, okay. There’s a fire escape. Hold on.” She tucked her phone in her pocket and quickly ran up the steps. 

Chloe was absolutely restless, she had tried calling Clark three times to ask him for a ride to Metropolis, but to no surprise, he wasn’t answering his phone, so she was stuck there, waiting. She could only hope that if anyone found Arrow, it would be Lois. And if she did, that she wouldn’t be too late.


	7. Chapter 7

Oliver Queen didn’t like asking for help. 

He avoided it if he could, but he knew if he waited much longer, he wouldn’t _have_ another opportunity to ask for it. So with a shaky hand, he dialed Chloe’s cell phone number, and waited.

“Sullivan,” she answered without looking at the phone, eyes still on the screen as she watched every footage of the city cameras from the previous night that she could find.

“Chloe?” His voice was strained. “It’s Oliver.” 

“Oliver?” She blinked a few times, pausing the video, “hi.”

“Listen.” He swallowed hard, licking his lips. “Are you in Metropolis?” 

“Yeah, I’m at the Planet.” She frowned at his voice, he sounded weak, “is something wrong?”

He was silent for a moment. “Do you think you could come over to the clock tower?” 

“Yeah.” She locked her computer and stood up, picking up her coat. She didn’t like the sound of this, “do you need anything?”

“No,” he said softly. _Just your help_. 

“Okay,” she nodded, “I’m on my way.”

“Thanks, Chloe.” He shut his eyes, hanging up the phone and laying back against the back of the sofa. 

* * *

In a few minutes, she was shivering with cold, but she was making her way inside his elevator and making her way to the top floor. She had never been there before, but she knew that she wasn’t there for fun tonight. 

She was still tense and nervous over the whole Green Arrow thing the previous night. Lois had never found him, which was a good sign, but she also hadn’t been able to find him on the footage to make sure he had gotten away in mostly one piece. 

And now this was worrying her almost just as much. Oliver had sounded horrible and considering it was Christmas and he was the man with no family and no real close friends, she wanted to get to him as quickly as possible. It was no news that the number of suicides increased during the holidays. 

He didn’t have the energy to stand when he heard the elevator arrive at the top floor, and he was very glad he’d made the decision to leave the elevator unlocked so she could just come in. He just hoped she wouldn’t hate him when she found out his secret. 

“Oliver?” She called as she pushed the gate open, looking around for a moment then stilling completely when she saw him. And instantly noticed that both him and the couch were covered in blood.

“Please tell me you don’t have a weak stomach,” he murmured.

Chloe swallowed hard and shook her head, her eyes falling on the stitched wound on his shoulder, her heart beating fast as she suddenly remembered, very vividly, him telling that his childhood hero had been Robin Hood. 

But it couldn’t be. Just because they were both hurt. But it couldn’t _not_ be.

“I need your help,” he told her, his vision swimming until he was seeing two of her. 

Her stomach clenched and she slowly walked over to him, “tell me what to do.”

Oliver swallowed hard, shifting on the couch so his back was to her. “Was a clean shot, but I can’t...stitch back there.” 

“I should take you to a hospital,” she told him, her voice wavering as he confirmed it has been a shot. But she couldn’t focus on that.

“That’s not an option,” he answered tiredly. 

She didn’t think so. “Can you lay on your stomach?” She asked, moving to stand next to him.

“Yeah.” He rubbed a hand over his face and shifted once more, laying down on the couch and shutting his eyes tightly.

Chloe glanced at the floor and saw all of the materials he apparently had used to stitch himself up. “Okay. relax.” She said, holding her breath, she just hoped she wouldn’t make things worse.

“Thanks for doing this,” he said, voice muffled by the sofa cushions.

“You probably need to drink water,” she whispered, trying to think, “you lost a lot of blood.”

“Yeah, probably.” 

“Okay, I will get you water when I’m done.” She promised, then focused her attention on the wound. It wasn’t long at least. Shouldn’t be too many stitches.

Oliver gripped onto the cushions beneath him as she sewed him up, biting down hard on his tongue to keep from making any noise in reaction to the pain. When he felt her stop, he let out a shuddering breath.

“I’m done,” she announced as she pulled her shaky hands away from him, “don’t move.”

“Okay,” he whispered, not lifting his head.

Chloe swallowed hard then looked around for a moment before making her way toward the kitchen when she saw it, washing her hands quickly then finding a glass, filling it with water and bringing it back to him, “drink this.”

“Requires movement,” he murmured, making no effort to turn over

“Just lift your head a little, I’ll help.” She whispered, kneeling down next to him.

He groaned softly, doing as she said and finding himself gazing right at her when he turned his head to drink the water.

She cupped his cheek to help hold his head up and lifted the glass to his lips, her stomach clenching as she noticed how pale he looked, “drink,” she whispered, searching his eyes.

“Thanks,” he told her, taking a drink of the water, coughing a little and wincing at the same time before swallowing down the liquid.

She winced when he did then nodded, “get some rest,” she whispered, “I’ll stay here.”

“It’s me,” he murmured, laying his head back down.

She held her breath and nodded a little, “I know.”

“You do?” 

“I heard,” she told him quietly then shook her head, “we’ll talk later. You need to rest.”

“‘kay,” he mumbled, closing his eyes and letting out a breath, feeling unconsciousness already tugging at him.

She sighed deeply and watched him for a long moment then let out her breath. If he didn’t wake up in a few hours, she would have to call for help, whether he liked it or not.

* * * 

When he woke up, he was a little warmer than he had been since he’d returned to the clock tower. And he felt a little more comfortable. The pain was still there--very much so--but the rest of his body felt more comfortable. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times to clear his vision. 

The first thing he saw was a head full of blond curls right beside him. His eyebrows furrowed for a moment until he realized they belonged to _Chloe_. 

She hadn’t slept at all, she had been checking to make sure he was still breathing every few seconds and when he shifted on the couch, she shifted and turned to look at him, sitting up and getting on her knees to face him the second she realized he was really awake, “hey.” She said, eyes wide. 

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “Hi,” he said softly.

“How are you feeling?” She whispered, turning around to pick up the glass of water she had there, waiting for him before facing him again.

“Sore, but uh--a little better. I don’t feel like I’m going to pass out.” 

“Good,” she breathed, lifting the glass toward him, “drink this.”

He met her eyes for a brief moment, nodding slightly and taking a long drink from the water before shifting on the sofa so he was on his side, wincing a little with the movement. 

Her eyes widened and she shook her head, “you probably shouldn’t move.” She told him, lifting a hand toward him but stopping herself from touching him. 

“You’re probably right,” he agreed, resting his head on the arm of the sofa and gazing at her for a long moment. “Thank you.” His voice was hushed.

“Welcome,” she whispered, taking the glass away from him, “do you want more water? Or something to eat?”

He shook his head a little, watching her with tired eyes. 

“Okay,” she sat back down on her heels, “anything else I can get you?”

“I don’t think I can ask you to do anything else,” he told her. “Considering you probably saved my life.” 

“Yeah well, we’re even now.” She told him, smiling a little.

He smiled faintly, as well, still watching her closely. “You really know others who do this?” he whispered. 

“Yeah,” she whispered, her face softening, “and who also got shot at while doing it.”

“Lucky them,” he joked.

“How did you even manage to get back here with your shoulder like that? Don’t you need it to hang down from buildings?”

He pursed his lips, offering her another faint smile. “It was either that or let my identity get revealed.” 

“Right and the whole keeping your secret thing is obviously more important than keeping your life,” She said, giving him a look. 

“It kind of is,” he said softly. 

“It wouldn’t have mattered if you were _dead_ , Oliver.” She pointed out with a frown. 

“No, but it was a shoulder shot. And if my identity would have been revealed and I _hadn’t_ have died, can you imagine the outcome?” 

“Yeah, I can,” she sighed softly, “but if this _ever_ happens again, please tell me you will call me right away?” 

He smiled faintly. “You want to be my sidekick?” he whispered.

Chloe cocked her head and smiled a little, “if that’s what you want to call me, I just want to make sure you stay alive.” She added the last part in a more serious tone. 

Oliver was silent for a moment. “You’re a really good person,” he murmured.

“You’re the one out there saving lives every night,” she whispered, watching him closely. 

“People like you are the reason I do it.” 

“And people like you are the reason I’m still alive,” she said quietly. 

“Ditto,” he said pointedly, smiling a little.

“Like I said,” she sat up a little, “we’re even now.”

Nodding, he closed his eyes for a moment, then opening them again, chewing the inside of his cheek. 

“Do you want to rest some more?” She asked.

“No, I feel like that’s all I’ve been doing.” 

“Okay,” she nodded, “what do you want to do instead?”

“Tell me about you,” he murmured. 

“I guess I do owe you that now that I know a big secret of yours,” she smiled softly.

“Not owe.” He reached out with his good arm and laid his hand on her shoulder. “I just want to know you.” 

Her face softened and she nodded, “I can tell you that I’m not nearly as impressive as you, but I will do my best to tell you everything I can think of.” 

He smiled at that, relaxing onto the sofa again.

“You already know the basics...” she said quietly, shifting on the floor for a more comfortable position.

His hand shifted, reaching up to tuck some hair behind her ear as he gazed at her with tired eyes.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go back to sleep, Oliver? We can talk when you’re feeling better.” She said quietly, watching him closely.

“I’m all right,” he assured her, even as his eyes drifted shut.

She smiled softly and pulled the covers further up around him, “I hope so,” she whispered.

Within moments, his breathing had evened out once more as he slept.

Chloe sighed softly and got up, moving to sit on the armchair since she’d been on the floor for so long, feeling a little bit better that he had actually had woken up, but she still wasn’t planning on going anywhere anytime soon.


	8. Chapter 8

Oliver wasn’t sure what time it was when he woke up next. He wasn’t even sure what _day_ it was. He rubbed a hand over his face, slowly sitting up, wincing as pain shot through his shoulder--something he’d figure he’d have to get used to for awhile. It definitely beat the alternative. He glanced around, spotting a half-eaten container of Chinese food on the table, fork still inside, a can of soda next to it. 

Then he looked over and saw her form draped over the armchair, blond hair falling in her face as she slept. He held his breath for a long moment and then slowly pushed the blanket off and rose to his feet. He realized that his dizziness from before seemed to have subsided and he picked up the blanket, gently spreading it over her with his good arm.

She sat up instantly, squinting as she looked up and saw him standing by her chair, “you’re up,” she gasped quietly, her eyes widening a moment later.

“Easy,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.” 

“You shouldn’t be up,” she told him, brushing her hair from her face.

“I feel better.” 

“Good,” she breathed, nodding a little, “you still shouldn’t be walking around.”

“I have to go to the bathroom,” he admitted, smiling faintly. “How was the Chinese?” 

“Oh,” she nodded again, “good, I ordered you some too, it’s in the fridge. You go to the bathroom and I will heat it up for you.”

“Appreciated,” he said honestly, gazing at her. “I’ll be right back.” He headed down the hallway.

“Okay,” she watched him for a moment then stretched and stood up before heading to the kitchen, still trying to wake up.

Oliver returned a few moments later, grimacing as he struggled to pull a clean shirt on over his head. “Chloe?” 

“Yeah?” She called then stilled when she realized he was still in the process of getting dressed.

“Can you help me?” he asked, looking at her sheepishly.

“Oh,” she nodded, stepping closer to him and holding her breath, “just keep your arm down.”

He gazed at her, nodding, as well and searching her eyes as she helped him pull his shirt on the rest of the way. “Thank you,” he murmured.

She dropped her hands and nodded a little, shifting backward slightly, “no problem.”

“Thank you for _everything_ ,” he said softly.

Chloe shook her head and smiled a little, “how are you feeling? You look better.”

“I feel better,” he told her. “Shoulder hurts, but...I’ll be fine.” 

“Good,” she relaxed a little then glanced toward the living room, “can’t say the same about your couch.”

He followed her gaze, grimacing at the blood stains and then shrugging his good shoulder. “I wasn’t that fond of the couch anyway.” 

She smiled a little and nodded slightly. “That’s good.”

Oliver glanced back at her, falling silent for a moment. He hesitated a second, then slid his good arm around her, pulling her close to him and closing his eyes.

Chloe stilled for a moment then wrapped her arms back around him but kept some distance between them so she wouldn’t hurt him.

“Merry Christmas,” he whispered.

Her face softened and she nodded slightly, “Merry Christmas,” she whispered quietly, “and I’m guessing one of your few very white Christmases.”

“Yeah.” He kissed the top of her head without thinking about it, then glanced over his shoulder. “And still snowing.” 

She blinked in surprise then turned her head to look up to him, “we have been upgraded to Blizzard a couple of hours ago, actually.”

“Oh.” He smiled a little. “Well, there’s plenty of food here, and at least it’s warm and dry.” 

“Good to know, because I don’t think we will be able to go anywhere anytime soon,” she smiled back at him and shrugged.

“I’m okay with that,” he said honestly, gazing at her intently.

She looked up at him for a moment, holding her breath, “you should eat.” She whispered.

“Probably,” he murmured, reaching out and cupping her face in his hand.

“Have you taken anything?” She asked quietly, searching his eyes but not pulling back.

“No.” He shifted closer to her.

“You should after you eat,” she told him quietly, lifting a hand to his good arm, her heart beating fast against her chest and while she knew she should pull away, she couldn’t bring herself to.

“I will,” he promised, dipping his head a little and brushing his nose over hers.

Chloe stilled and closed her eyes, brushing her nose against his once more then tilting her head slightly and brushing her lips very lightly over his.

He pressed his lips against hers a little more firmly, his hand sliding up and into her hair as he kissed her softly.

She kissed him for a moment then pulled back, opening her eyes again to look up at him. She had thought about this, especially after she spoke with Green Arrow, and after her lunch date with Oliver and now that they were the same person, she couldn’t help herself, but she also wasn’t sure this was a good idea.

He smiled at her when the kiss ended, his thumb gently stroking her cheek. “You have the most beautiful eyes,” he murmured. “Has anyone ever told you that?” 

Shaking her head a little, she took a deep breath, “I’m glad you’re okay,” she whispered to him.

“Thanks to you.” He gazed at her. 

“And thank you for trusting me enough to let me help you,” she smiled a little even as her chest tightened.

“I do trust you,” he said very quietly. 

She squeezed his arm, her chest suddenly warm. “Thank you.”

He smiled softly and kissed the corner of her mouth once more. 

Chloe hesitated for a moment then turned her head and kissed him a little harder than before.

He didn’t hesitate to return the kiss, even if he was surprised she’d initiated it. He nibbled lightly on her lower lip, then slid his tongue across it, soothing it.

She smiled softly against his lips then pulled away once more, “you should sit down.”

“I’m rather enjoying standing,” he told her, grinning at her.

Arching her eyebrows, she pulled away from him completely and shook her head, “you’re already pushing yourself,” she pointed out.

“I’ll sit down if you come with me.” 

Chloe considered him for a moment, “I will, but I need to get your food first.”

“Deal.” He nodded a little and moved to sit down on the end of the couch that wasn’t blood-stained. 

She watched him then picked up the plate from the microwave along with a fork and made her way over to the couch, “I hope you like chicken fried rice.”

“One of my favorites,” he said honestly, shifting over a little more to make room for her.

“Really?” She asked, sitting down next to him and cocking her head to watch him.

“Yeah.” He smiled faintly, meeting her eyes.

She held his gaze and smiled softly, nodding, “good to know.”

“And I’m guessing yours is lo mein?” He asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Yeah,” she frowned, “how do you know?”

Oliver nodded slightly toward the half-empty container on the table. “Just a wild guess,” he teased.

“Right,” she smiled softly, glancing at the container, “you are extremely smart.”

He chuckled. “You’re the first to ever accuse me of _that_.” 

“To do what you do, you have to be in the very least extremely observant.”

“I try to be,” he admitted, gazing at her. “It’s kind of important.” 

“Yeah,” she nodded a little, “I’m sure it is.” Chloe shifted on the couch to look at him better, “what happened last night?”

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly, taking a bite of his rice. “I thought it was a simple mugging.” His voice was hushed. “Just one guy. Until I heard the noise behind me.” He took another bite, raising his eyebrows a little. “I managed to get myself back here and stitched up the front of the wound, then basically passed out on the couch.” 

“My cousin heard about it almost when it happened,” she told him, holding her breath, “I tried to get here, but it was going to take me too long and she said you had disappeared...”

“Your cousin?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowing a little.

“Lois Lane,” she said, pursing her lips together.

Oliver paused at that, chewing the inside of his cheek. “As in Lois Lane from the Inquisitor.” 

“That’s the one,” she nodded, shifting on the couch. She knew at least Green Arrow hadn’t been very impressed with the take Lois had chosen for her stories, “she was working the tip line for the Inquisitor last night and someone called in about the Green Arrow getting shot.”

“Guess journalism runs in your family,” he said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“In this generation anyway,” she smiled a little. “I was in Smallville with my dad, so I just couldn’t make it here fast enough, I had her go up on the roof, following the trail of blood and I knew that at least if you had managed to get away, you should be okay.”

He lifted his hand and touched her cheek. “Chloe,” he said softly. “It’s okay. Thank you for trying to help even before you knew who Green Arrow was. That means a lot to me.” 

“I would have continued doing that even if I didn’t find out,” she whispered, “I meant what I told you the other night.”

“Apparently I could use the help,” he admitted, gazing at her. 

“We can set up some kind of system while you heal,” she said quietly, holding his gaze. She didn’t have any intention of letting him back out there without help.

He smiled a little, nodding. “I hope that means you’ll be around a lot.” 

“If you want me to be?” She asked, a little unsure. She hadn’t considered _that_.

“I do,” he said quietly, tucking some hair behind her ear. “Chloe...I really like you a lot.” 

She held her breath at that and nodded a little, “I do too but... we should take one day at a time.”

Oliver cocked his head, considering her words. “Can I still kiss you?” 

Chloe grinned softly at that, her face getting warm, “yes, you can.”

He grinned, too. “Then I suppose I can deal with one day at a time,” he said lightly, kissing her softly.

She kissed him back for a moment then smiled when she pulled back, “you really are a flirt.”

He raised his eyebrows. “I can be,” he agreed. “But a lot of it’s sorta needed.” 

“Needed?” She echoed, cocking her head curiously.

“To keep people from putting things together,” he admitted. “Green Arrow and Oliver Queen are both from Star City. They both showed up here in Metropolis about the same time...” He smiled a little. 

“Right,” she nodded, pursing her lips together, “that makes sense, and it’s actually pretty smart.”

Oliver gazed at her. “And I’m flirting with you because I like you.” He grinned a little. “But I think you already know that.” 

She couldn’t help but grin softly at that, “are you sure you’re not just delirious from the pain?” She asked, mostly joking but she couldn’t help but wonder.

“Completely sure,” he promised with a smile.

She smiled softly at him then leaned in and kissed him softly, “can you tell me where the painkillers are so I can get them for you?”

“In the bathroom medicine cabinet.” He kissed her back.

“The master bathroom?” She asked, forcing herself to pull back.

Oliver nodded slightly, watching her.

“I’ll be right back, try not to move,” she told him quietly then stood up and disappeared down the hallway.

He watched her go, pursing his lips and leaning back against the sofa once more, looking down at the carton of fried rice.

She made her way back a moment later with three different bottles of medicine, “I’m not sure which one would be better for you, but you seem to have quite a stock.”

He nodded slightly. “Experience,” he confessed, reaching for the bottle of Vicodin.

“I figured,” she said quietly, sitting down next to him. “Have you ever gotten shot before?”

“No,” he assured. “Nothing _that_ serious.” 

“How long have you been doing this?” She asked, cocking her head.

“Only a couple years.” He shrugged his good shoulder a little. “Apparently I still need more practice.”

“And some help,” she arched her eyebrows, “maybe eventually you can meet the others and work together.”

“Team Save the World,” he joked.

She grinned at that and shook her head, “I’m sure we can come up with a better name.”

He smiled at her grin. “Yeah. Maybe something with ‘justice’ in it.” 

Nodding slightly, she arched her eyebrows, “that sounds fitting.”

“You’ll need a codename,” he told her.

“I will?” She asked, cocking her head, “what exactly do you want me to help you with?”

“Whatever you think you can handle,” he said honestly.

“I can do research?” She shrugged, “I don’t know how else I could help.”

“Research is definitely a big help.” He gazed at her. 

“But I want to do more than just that,” she admitted in a whisper.

Somehow that didn’t surprise him. “Then we’ll figure it out.” 

She grinned at that and nodded slightly, “okay.”

He smiled back. Somehow he had a feeling they’d just embarked on something huge together. Something that was just destined to be legendary.


End file.
